Infant of Prague
From Association of Independent Readers and Rootworkers
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The Infant of Prague is an image of the Christ Child dressed in an elaborate red robe and gold crown. Often called on for speedy results, the Infant of Prague is also one of the patron saints of children.
Unlike many statues whose robes are sculpted as part of the statue, the Infant of Prague statue is actually a small waxen doll whose beautifully decorated and embellished cloth robes are frequently changed. Devotion to the infant Jesus grew in Baroque Spain and traveled over Europe during the Renaissance; one of the more famous statues was found in Prague, hence the title.
Statues of the Infant of Prague are often placed close by, facing, or above the front door of business establishments to guard and protect, and to assist in bringing in good customers. Because novenas to the Infant of Praque may be recited hourly over the course of nine hours rather than daily over the course of nine says, this apparition of Jesus Christ is often appealed to during the time that surgery patients are being prepped, operated on, and in the recovery room. The nine-hour novena to the Infant of Prague is said to bring speedy results. Because of the compressed time-span alloted to this prayer cycle, it is also the custom in some families to teach children the novena to the Infant of Prague as "Baby's First Prayer" or "A Child's First Novena."
